4 JUNE 1937, Page 20

THE NAMES OF WARSHIPS

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Janus, in last week's Notebook, has an interesting reference to the names given French warships. I fancy, however, that the intention was to honour political philosophy rather than literature in the persons of Voltaire, Diderot, Renan, Hugo and the others. Jules Verne stands out as an exception, chiefly because of Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. When the vogue was at its highest, battleships also bore such names as ' Democratic ' and ' _Justice.'

Therefore if the Admiralty sought inspiration from the French practice, it would think of Herbert Spencer rather than of Edmund Spenser.—Yours very truly, Paris. G. H. ARCHAMBAULT.